following you will find the tested kites and the main statments about it:

Cabrinha Black Tip 9.4 and 12.2 (25m lines)

- great hangtime
- almost same high steering forces like last year
- 12.2 doesn't really turn faster than the 2001 model
- the 9.4 turns faster than 2001
- very good relaunch

F-One Mach1 18.1 and 15.1 (27m lines)

- very low steering forces for both sizes
- very good depower
- easy relaunch when enough wind, with light winds couldn't be tested
- the kite has to be depowered a little, if not the backlines will be pulled too much and than it tends to stall (backstall)

RRD Supertype 16.0 (28m lines)

- very low steering forces and turns fast
- the kite has to be depowered a little, if not the backlines will be pulled too much and than it tends to stall (backstall)
- good relaunch
- good lift for jumps
- long batten at the tips

Gaastra GXS 14.0 and 12.0 (28m lines)

- despite the stick in the middle of the kite at higher winds it will still get the typical U shape like other kites
- the kite has to be depowered a little, if not the backlines will be pulled too much and than it tends to stall (backstall)
- steering forces similar to the North Rhino
(intermediate)
- good relaunch
- same lift and power as the Gaastra G-Spot

Wipika Airblast 8.4 and 11.8 (25m lines)

- with bridles very fast and almost no steering forces (but this way you can't feel the kite)
- disadvantage: small impulses on the bar are enough to turn the kite, you need very good control of the kite
- wide depower range
- the 11.8 doesn't create much poer at the low end compared to other kites of the same size
- easy relaunch due to bridle

Takoon Skoop 8.5 (28m lines)

- as fast as the Airblast and same easy steering
- wide depower range
- can be too fast when not experienced
- great lift for very high jumps
- difference to the Airblast: the Skoop has the last battens all the way at the end of the tips and no special valve to keep the pressure in the tube

Cabrinha CO2 9.0 (25m lines)

- good allround kite
- as 2-liner easy to handle, as 4-liner fast
- good jumping power but less hangtime than highperformer
- very good relaunch
- large wind range (also depending on the boards) from higher 3 to higher 6 Beaufort

Gaastra G-Spot 12.5 (28m lines)

- comparable to the CO2 from Cabrinha
- fast and easy handling
- same wind range as CO2
- alomost longer hangtime than the Gaastra GXS
- the riding speed is less than the GXS
- very good relaunch, considerable better than the GXS
- can't be used as 2-liner

Flysurfer Warrior 9.3 and 7.0 (20m lines)

- perfect relaunch, also good for snowkiting
- lift for jumps not comparable to tubes, but still ok
- good depower
- very low steering forces
- 9.3 can be compared to 10 sqm surface area tube kite

Naish Aero 10.0 (28m lines)

- very good relaunch
- steering forces a little bit more than the C02
- good lift, but hangtime less than highperformer
- turns slower than CO2

IÃ‚Â´ve changed my BT Cabrinha 12,2 2001 to the new 2002 and can give you my opinion:
The 2002 turns much faster than the old model, even after modifying the tips of my old kite.
The jelly fish factor was reduced due to more segments in the main bladder, but it hasn't desapired.
Construction is much better: Stronger dacron and seams, but it is pritty heavy
The bar is excellent, it has colored back lines and floaters.
See you

Just gotta say that the Skoop does have one way valves in the tip battens... the last two in fact on the 8.5 and 10.5. The 6.5 has non return valves on all the struts but not on the leading edge. They work very well... much better than the 'ball' type.

Toby, thanks for the testing reports. Interesting about the line lengths. Were the lines lengths used the ones that come standard with each kite? For instance, I noticed the Wipika Airblast had 25 meter lines. Others 28 meters not 30. Is there a trend to shorten line lengths from the factory?

the kite didn't get a good test, saying it too slow and doesn't have a good handling.

The problem was that the tested kite was used with 27m lines + 7m caster line. SO this is a total of 34m !!!
Normally it comes with 23m + 7m caster lines, which is 4m less that tested. And these 4m make a big difference.

viewing all the tests you reported I think they are not really serious. What do you think about it?
I 'm not convinced they compared all kites in the same conditions (line length, maybe boards, riders ...). Then the pertain is not good.
good wind and take care

Nicolas: I was there watching for a week. I only heard one sponsored rider comment that he didn't think they were qualified. ...it may have been that he wasn't asked to participate.

If you think about it. The same group of people - whatever their skill level (their's seemed pretty high) testing, or comparing a variety of items at the same time in the same conditions will come up with some representational reference of expirence.

I saw a number of different riders, maybe four or five, all trying a large variety of kites in what I'd think were nearly perfect conditions. 1pm 'till dark there were always winds from 12 - 20kts with mild gusting and stable seas.

The typical rider would come back and change boards, so they were introducing another variable that we'd never be able to reproduce at home.

They also did a lot of static - on the beach testing for power, turning and depower. I was impressed in the way they did it given the complexity of the task. I only wished I understood German better.

Two notables: Some bigass board that looked like a snowboard - the "WB" (maker?) The first rider out with was skating around like it was on ice. It had no fins and looked tricky to control. Another rider with the same board didn't have the same problems. It just looked funny compared to all the modern, UG/Mutant style boards.

The F-ARC. This was VERY INTERESTING. Real radical, high aspect but calmer than a circus elephant.

In the ground testing I watched them bring it slowly down in the power zone within 6" of the sand and slowly back up again without getting pulled into the trees. They would also drop the bar and it would just hang overhead like a helium baloon.

This one was a 1200 and I couldn't judge the power from the beach jumps and foot drags they made, but it didn't look as powerful in the water as other's. The other's may have been 14-16-18's - I just don't remember.

The only thing I did see (and I helped bring it back out of the water) was the F-ARC lay in the water and not come up 'till it came onto the beach. It folded onto itself and the only thing he could do was swim.

I suspect the rider may have done it to see what happens because it seems the only way it would come down was if you were still holding the bar when three naked ladies, standing on each other's shoulders, zoomed by on a jetski calling out your name.

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